Flight simulator evaluation of an integrated synthetic and enhanced vision system for terrain avoidance

Abstract

This paper describes a flight simulator study that was conducted during 2004 and 2005 at the Operator Performance Laboratory (OPL) at the University of Iowa. The work described in this paper was made possible by a Dual Use Science and Technology (DUS&T) project entitled SE-Vision, with funding provided by the Air Force Research Laboratory (USAF/AFRL), NASA, and Rockwell Collins. The goal of the SE-Vision project was to develop the technological framework for the integration of a Synthetic Vision Information System (SVIS) with an aircraft sensor based Enhanced Vision System (EVS). This framework was developed under considerations of technical capabilities and limitations such as the available sensor technology, computer processing performance, etc., and human factors considerations. This particular study focused on low-level terrain following and terrain avoidance (TF/TA) missions as they may apply to special operation forces flying aircraft such as the MC-130H Talon II. Ten military pilots who were familiar with those types of mission profiles participated in this study. They each flew four training sorties and eight data collection sorties. The variables of interest included the use of a Head-Up Display (HUD, with/without), the use of Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR, with/without), the use of Synthetic Vision Terrain (with/without), and the use of a guidance pathway vs. a flight director (FD). The missions were flown at an altitude of 600 ft AGL and for a planned ground speed of 240 kts. These parameters were chosen in line with the subsequent FAA William J Huges Technical Center's Boeing 727-100 flight tests that were flown in the Spring of 2005. The dependent variables included lateral and vertical Flight Technical Errors (FTEs), workload scores (AFFTC/AWRES), and Situation Awareness Rating Technique (SART) scores. The results indicate that the HUD statistically significantly improved vertical FTEs when on-path and vertical FTEs when off path. An analysis of the FTEs also showed a statistically significant benefit of perspective Synthetic Vision (SV) terrain on the Primary Flight Display (PFD), terrain and associated Terrain Awareness Warning System (TAWS) coloring on the MFD, and the pathway based TF guidance concept that was tested in this study. The presence of FLIR had no statistically significant effects on the FTEs. © 2005 IEEE.